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LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

CALIFORNIA 
SANTA    CRUZ 


SANTA     CRUZ 


Gift  of 
MARION   R.   WALKER 

in  memory  of  his  g^te 
THE  HON.  MARION  CANNON 
M.C.  1892-94 


SANTA     CRUZ 


MEMORIAL  ADDRESSES 


LIFE  AND  CHARACTER 


ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG, 

A   REPRESENTATIVE  FROM   PENNSYLVANIA, 


DELIVERED   IN   THE 


HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  AND  IN  THE  SENATE, 


FIFTY-SECOND    CONORESS. 


PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OF  CONGRESS. 


WASHINGTON : 

GOVERNMENT    PRINTING   OFFICE. 
I893- 


Resolved  by  the  House  of  Representatives  (the  Senate  concurring),  That  there 
be  printed  of  the  eulogies  delivered  in  Congress  upon  the  Hon.  Alexander 
K.  Craig,  late  a  Eepresentative  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  87000 
copies,  of  which  2,000  copies  shall  be  delivered  to  the  Senators  and  Rep- 
resentatives of  that  State;  and  of  the  remaining  number  2,000  shall  be  for 
the  use  of  the  Senate  and  4,000  copies  shall  be  for  the  use  of  the  House ; 
and  of  the  quota  of  the  House  the  Public  Printer  shall  set  aside  50  copies, 
which  he  shall  have  bound  in  full  morocco,  with  gilt  edges,  the  same  to  be 
delivered  when  completed  to  the  family  of  the  deceased ;  and  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  is  hereby  directed  to  have  engraved  and  printed  at  the 
earliest  day  practicable  a  portrait  of  the  deceased  to  accompany  said 
eulogies. 

Agreed  to  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  February  27,  1893. 

Agreed  to  in  the  Senate,  March  3,  1893. 


CSV- 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


ANNOUNCEMENT  OF  DEATH. 


JULY  30,  1892. 

Mr.  EEILLY.  Mr.  Speaker,  it  devolves  upon  me  to  announce 
to  the  House  the  painful  intelligence  of  the  death  of  one  of 
iny  colleagues,  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  late  aBepresenta- 
tive  in  this  body  from  the  Twenty-fourth  district  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. Mr.  CRAIG  was  taken  ill  in  this  city  several  weeks  ago 
while  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties.  His  ill- 
ness was  of  such  a  character  that  it  was  necessary  he  should 
be  taken  to  his  home  at  Claysville,  Pa.,  where,  as  we  learn 
this  morning,  he  died  at  9  o'clock  last  night. 

Mr.  CRAIG  was  a  man  aged  about  64  years.  He  had  lived 
all  of  those  years  the  life  of  an  exemplary  model  Christian 
gentleman  and  citizen.  He  died,  as  I  understand,  surrounded 
by  the  members  of  his  family  and  with  all  that  the  kind  min- 
istering of  loving  hands  could  do  to  save  his  life.  But  the 
inexorable  decree  had  gone  forth  and  he  has  been  taken  from 
our  midst. 

His  service  in  this  body  was  not  of  very  great  length ;  he  had 
been  with  us  only  a  few  months;  but  his  character  and  his  dis- 
position were  such  as  to  endear  him,  I  am  sure,  to  all  those 
who  made  his  acquaintance,  as  they  did  to  all  those  who  knew 
him  more  intimately  in  the  circle  of  his  own  community. 

3 


4  Proceedings  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  nor  the  purpose  of  my  colleagues  from 
Pennsylvania  to  trespass  at  this  time  upon  the  indulgence  of 
the  House.  I  have  risen  for  the  purpose  of  doing  no  more  than 
making  this  sad  announcement  and  stating  that  on  some  future 
occasion,  when  it  shall  suit  the  convenience  of  the  House,  we 
shall  ask  it  to  set  apart  a  day  for  paying  proper  tributes  to 
the  memory  of  our  departed  colleague. 

I  now  offer  the  resolutions  which  I  send  to  the  desk. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  House  has  heard  with  deep  regret  and  profound  sor- 
row of  the  death  of  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  late  a  Representative  from 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  seven  members  of  the  House,  with  such 
members  of  the  Senate  as  may  be  named  by  it,  be  appointed  to  attend  the 
funeral  at  Claysville,  Pa. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the  Senate, 
and  transmit  a  copy  of  the  same  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

The  question  being  taken,  the  resolutions  were  unanimously 
agreed  to;  and  the  Speaker  announced  the  appointment,  in 
accordance  therewith,  of  the  following  committee: 

Mr.  G.  F.  Kribbs,  of  Pennsylvania;  Mr.  J.  J.  Seerley,  of 
Jowa;  Mr.  E.  P.  Gillespie,  of  Pennsylvania;  Mr.  A.  Caminetti, 
of  California;  Mr.  G.  F.  Huff,  of  Pennsylvania;  Mr.  John 
Raines,  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Marriott  Brosius,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

The  SPEAKER.  The  Clerk  will  now  report  an  additional 
resolution  submitted  by  the  gentleman  from  Pennsylvania. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the  deceased 
the  House  do  now  adjourn. 

Mr.  REED.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  desire  to  say  that  in  the  present 
condition  of  the  public  business  I  think  the  gentleman  from 
Pennsylvania  [Mr.  Eeilly]  ought  to  withdraw  this  last  resolu- 
tion. The  House  has  already  expressed  in  proper  terms  its 


Proceedings  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  5 

appreciation  of  the  event  to  which  its  attention  has  been  called; 
and  it  seems  to  me  very  plain  in  the  present  condition  of  the 
public  business  that  we  ought  not  to  adjourn  this  House. 
Everything  has  been  done  which  is  suitable  to  testify  respect. 
Adjournment  of  the  House  at  the  present  time  would  be  testi- 
fying respect  at  the  expense  of  the  public  service  and  the  public 
business.  I  say  this  in  justification  of  the  negative  vote  which 
I  intend  to  give  if  the  resolution  is  not  withdrawn. 

Mr.  EEILLY.  Mr.  Speaker,  all  I  can  say  in  reply  to  the  re- 
marks of  the  gentleman  from  Maine  [Mr.  Reed]  is  that  it 
strikes  me  as  an  extraordinary  thing  that  there  should  be  any 
discussion  on  a  resolution  of  this  character.  My  own  feeling  is 
that  such  discussion  is  a  matter  of  the  grossest  impropriety. 
The  resolution  is  presented  to  the  House  in  conformity  with 
the  uniform  and  unbroken  practice  on  such  occasions.  I  have 
never  known  an  instance,  when  a  member  who  had  served  in 
this  body  was  summoned  to  appear  before  his  Maker,  that  the 
House  was  not  disposed  to  adjourn  as  an  act  of  respect  to  his 
memory.  In  offering  the  resolution  I  have  no  disposition  to 
interfere  in  any  manner  with  the  public  business  or  what  may 
be  the  desire  of  the  House.  The  resolution  is  prompted — 
appropriately,  as  it  seems  to  me — by  the  occasion.  It  speaks 
for  itself;  and  having  offered  it  I  submit  it  to  the  House,  which 
can  make  such  disposition  of  it  as  it  deems  proper.  I  ask  for 
the  adoption  of  the  resolution. 

The  question  being  taken,  the  resolution  was  agreed  to ;  and 
in  accordance  therewith  (at  12  o'clock  and  25  minutes  p.  m.) 
the  House  adjourned  until  Monday  next  at  11  o'clock  a.  m. 


EULOGIES. 


FEBRUARY  3,  1893. 

Mr.  BLOTJNT.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  desire  to  ask  whether  there  is 
not  a  special  order  fixed  for  half  past  three  o'clock  to-day. 

The  SPEAKER.  There  is,  and  as  that  time  has  about 
arrived  the  Clerk  will  read  the  special  order. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  Friday,  February  3,  1893,  beginning  at  3 :  30  o'clock  p.m., 
be  set  apart  for  the  purpose  of  paying  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Hon. 
Alexander  K.  Craig,  late  a  Representative  from  the  Twenty-fourth  dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  SIPE.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  submit  the  resolutions  which  I 
send  to  the  desk. 

The  Clerk  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  House  be  now  suspended,  that  oppor- 
tunity be  given  for  tributes  to  the  memory  of  Hon.  Alexander  K. 
Craig,  late  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
deceased  and  in  recognition  of  his  eminent  public  and  private  virtues, 
the  House,  at  the  conclusion  of  these  memorial  proceedings,  shall  stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the  Senate. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  instructed  to  transmit  a  copy  of  these  reso- 
lutions to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  SIPE,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  Lying  just  beyond  the  Alleglienies,  in  the 
Old  Keystone  State,  is  a  district  for  which  nature  has  done 
more  perhaps  than  any  other  one  represented  on  this  floor. 
It  embraces  within  its  boundaries  thousands  of  acres  of  land, 
unsurpassed  for  the  fertility  of  its  soil  and  renowned  for  its 
flocks  of  sheep  and  wool- growing  industries;  the  great  coke 
fields,  with  their  thousands  of  smoking  ovens;  the  extensive 
fields  of  bituminous  coal,  from  which  millions  of  bushels  are 
annually  floated  on  the  rivers  to  provide  light  and  fuel  for  the 
Mississippi  Valley;  the  richest  pools  of  petroleum  oil  the  drill 
has  ever  discovered  on  this  continent ;  unlimited  deposits  of 
natural  gas;  and,  aside  from  these,  it  is  famous  for  its  schools 
and  colleges  of  learning,  from  which  have  graduated  many  of 
the  most  illustrious  statesmen,  jurists,  physicians,  teachers, 
and  preachers  of  this  land;  and  having  a  population  of  almost 
300,000  persons,  representing  every  nationality,  tongue,  and 
religion. 

This  district,  the  Twenty  fourth  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  CRAIG 
had  the  honor  to  represent  in  the  Fifty-second  Congress  at  the 
time  of  his  death;  and  I  would  be  wanting  in  fidelity  to  my 
trust  and  unworthy  of  the  loyal  support  which  his  friends  gave 
to  me  at  the  recent  election,  if,  on  this  occasion,  as  his  imme- 
diate successor,  I  failed  to  record  the  high  esteem  and  an°ec- 
tionate  regard  entertained  for  him  by  the  people  of  his  district, 
irrespective  of  party,  and  especially  by  those  within  his  native 
county  of  Washington. 

It  was  not  my  good  fortune  to  have  ever  met  Mr.  CRAIG, 
but  from  a  somewhat  extensive  acquaintance  with  those  who 
knew  him  intimately,  I  am  enabled  to  bear  testimony  to  the 


8  Address  of  Mr.  Sipe,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

many  virtues  which  adorned  his  life  and  secured  for  him  the 
sincere  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

Mr.  CRAIG'S  ancestors  were  of  Scotch-Irish  origin — a  stock 
whose  combination  of  sturdy  manliness,  religious  training, 
and  brilliant  mental  gifts  have  filled  the  world  with  historic 
deeds  and  intellectual  treasures.  To  it  our  country  owes 
much,  for  it  was  conspicuous  for  its  resistance  to  British 
tyranny  during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  contributed  largely 
to  the  foundation  of  our  civil  and  religious  freedom.  In  every 
development  of  our  growth  it  has  borne  an  active  and  influen- 
tial part  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Republic.  These  ances- 
tors were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

ALEXANDER  KERR  CRAIG  was  born  February  28,  1828,  on 
what  was  known  as  the  Craig  homestead,  located  on  the  old 
National  Turnpike  road,  in  Washington  County,  Pa.  In  this 
historic  region,  famous  as  the  birthplace  of  that  great  and 
illustrious  statesman,  James  G.  Blaine,  whose  recent  death  we 
all  mourn,  and  whose  ancestry  sprung  from  a  kindred  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage,  the  lamented  deceased  passed  his  life,  within 
a  few  miles  of  his  birthplace. 

Doubtless  his  youthful  eyes  often  saw  tbat  apostle  of  Demo- 
cratic faith,  Andrew  Jackson,  as  he  passed  to  and  from  the 
national  capital  over  this  great  highway,  and  from  this  hon- 
est, fiery  chieftain  caught  the  inspiration  of  political  activity 
that  governed  him.  throughout  life.  He  must  have  seen  all  the 
great  politicians  of  the  day  who  used  the  national  pike  before 
the  era  of  railroads,  and  learned  something  of  the  momentous 
issues  that  separated  the  parties  in  such  hostile  array. 

Living  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  valley,  where  peaceful  homes 
dotted  the  hillsides,  among  a  people  whose  honesty,  industry, 
and  intelligence  are  characteristic  of  the  ancestry  I  have 
referred  to,  where  education  was  esteemed  and  diligently 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  9 

sought  for,  the  result  of  such  environments  were  naturally  to  be 
expected  in  the  development  of  young*  CRAIG.  He  displayed  in 
early  childhood  a  great  love  for  books  ;  and  it  is  related  by 
those  who  were  then  his  associates,  that  the  time  spent  by 
other  boys  in  play  and  recreation  he  occupied  in  his  school 
studies  and  in  reading  such  books  as  were  available.  He 
developed  a  passionate  fondness  for  works  on  political  economy 
and  religion,  and  studied  carefully  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  and  of  the  several  States.  He  grew  up  on  a 
farm,  doing  farm  work  in  summer  and  attending  school  in  win- 
ter. His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  and 
under  the  tutorship  of  a  learned  Presbyterian  divine  of  the 
neighborhood. 

At  the  age  of  18  years  Mr.  CRAIG  began  the  study  of  law, 
which,  owing  to  changes  occurring  in  his  father's  family,  he 
felt  called  upon  to  lay  aside  at  the  expiration  of  one  year,  to 
give  his  attention  to  farming  and  the  care  of  younger  brothers 
and  sisters.  He  pursued  the  vocation  of  farming,  and  taught 
school  in  winter  for  many  years,  until  he  entered  the  Union 
Army.  He  was  regarded  a  most  excellent  teacher,  and  many 
young  men  of  his  neighborhood,  under  his  discipline  and  teach- 
ing, were  prepared  to  enter  college  and  attained  great  promi- 
nence in  business  and  professional  life. 

Mr.  CRAIG  was  a  true  patriot.  The  blood  of  his  patriot  sires, 
the  heritage  of  his  forefathers'  love  of  religious  and  civil  liberty, 
and  the  emphatic  declaration  of  Old  Hickory — "  The  Federal 
Union,  it  must  and  shall  be  preserved  " — all  urged  him  to  offer 
his  services  for  the  perpetuation  of  the  Union  he  loved  so  well. 

When  the  storm-cloud  of  war  hung  thickest  over  the  land 
and  threatened  to  destroy  the  political  fabric  that  Washington 
and  our  Revolutionary  fathers  had  reared  with  so  much  pains 
and  such  vast  expenditure  of  blood  and  treasure,  he  enlisted  in 
the  gallant  Eighty -seventh  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Infantry, 


10          Address  of  Mr,  Sipe,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

participated  in  the  closing  scenes  of  the  war,  and  was  present 
at  the  surrender  at  Appomattox.  He  was  a  brave  soldier, 
prompt  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty  assigned 
him,  ready  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances  to  meet 
danger. 

Like  a  gallant  soldier,  however,  he  was  among  the  first  to 
assist  in  healing  up  the  wounds  of  war  and  in  the  restoration 
of  fraternal  love  throughout  the  whole  land.  His  country 
embraced  every  part  of  it  and  every  citizen  of  it.  Like  Crom- 
well's Eoundheads,  he  fought  well  and  prayed  well ;  but  he  did 
his  fighting  and  his  praying  from-proper  motives,  and  because 
his  conscience  commanded  him. 

Neither  Cromwell  nor  Stonewall  Jackson  ever  went  to  war 
with  more  conscientious  motives  than  actuated  Mr.  CRAIG. 
His  zeal  for  his  country  was  a  burning  and  devoted  love  for 
the  L^nion  of  the  States  and  our  institutions,  and  a  desire  to 
see  both  perpetuated  for  posterity.  After  his  return  from  the 
army  he  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  agriculture,  a  calling 
always  congenial  to  his  taste  and  well  adapted  to  his  time  of 
life,  and  when  approached  and  solicited  to  become  the  standard- 
bearer  of  his  party,  like  Cincinnatus,  he  was  found  at  the  plow. 
He  accepted  the  nomination  for  Congress  by  the  Democratic 
party  out  of  a  high  sense  of  duty,  when  the  political  majority 
was  supposed  to  be  overwhelmingly  against  him.  He  made  a 
quiet  personal  canvass  of  his  district,  and,  by  his  pleasing 
manners  and  honest,  frank  bearing,  he  secured  many  Republi- 
can votes,  but  his  competitor  was  returned  elected. 

Mr.  CRAIG,  believing  thathehad  been  defeated  by  illegal  votes 
and  irregularities,  began  an  investigation,  and  after  months  of 
unceasing  toil  he  obtained  conclusive  proof  of  his  election,  and 
after  abitter  contest  and  a  full,  careful,  and  patient  consideration 
by  the  able  gentlemen  who  compose  the  present  Committee  on 
Elections,  he  was  declared  elected  by  a  vote  of  this  House.  Dur- 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  1 1 

ing  the  brief  period  his  health  permitted  him  to  attend  to  his 
duties,  lie  was  vigilant  in  looking  after  the  interests  of  his  con- 
stituents, diligent  and  painstaking  in  the  performance  of  every 
duty,  and  especially  anxious  and  active  in  all  matters  relating 
to  the  welfare  of  the  soldiers  and  their  widows  and  children; 
and  if  his  life  had  been  spared  1  am  satisfied  that  his  counsels 
would  have  been  much  sought  after;  for  while  he  was  a  man  of 
unusual  modesty,  never  intruding  his  opinions,  he  was  at  the 
same  time  a  man  of  large  common  sense,  sound  judgment,  and 
very  positive  convictions.  He  accorded  to  others  the  right  to 
think  and  act  as  they  saw  fit,  but  he  never  permitted  difference 
of  views  to  affect  his  personal  associations. 

He  abhorred  treachery,  deception,  untruthfnlness,  and  self- 
ishness, and  he  never  made  a  promise  that  he  did  not  regard 
sacred  and  to  the  best  of  his  ability  tried  to  perform.  Mr.  CKAIG 
was  a  life-long  Democrat  of  the  Jeffersonian  school,  always 
active  and  ever  ready  to  contribute  of  his  means  for  the  success 
of  his  party,  but  he  never  held  any  office,  except  that  of  school 
director  and  justice  of  the  peace,  until  he  took  his  seat  in  Con- 
gress. At  the  age  of  22  years  Mr.  CRAIG  married  Miss  Sarah 
McLain,  an  accomplished  daughter  of  a  prominent  neighbor, 
who  with  three  sons  and  one  daughter  survives  him.  His 
domestic  life  was  a  very  happy  one,  and  he  found  in  the  wife  of 
his  early  and  constant  affection  a  gentle,  loving  helpmate  and  a 
devoted  mother;  and  now  in  the  evening  of  life,  when  bowed 
down  under  loss  of  a  dear  husband,  heij  children  rise  up  and 
call  her  blessed. 

As  reflectiugthe  influence  of  Christian  example  and  Christian 
training,  I  deem  it  proper  to  relate  that  of  Mr.  CRAIG'S  children 
one  son  is  now  the  honored  mayor  of  a  prominent  city  of  the 
Northwest,  another  one  is  a  successful  practicing  attorney  of 
the  same  place,  and  another  one  is  attending  a  theological  sem- 
inary of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  preparing  himself  for  the 


12          Address  of  Mr,  Sipe,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  while  the  (laughter  is  a  beloved 
devoted,  and  a  happy  wife. 

Mr.  CRAIG  believed  literally  the  language  of  the  sacred 
Hymn,  that  "'Tis  not  the  whole  of  life  to  live,  nor  all  of  death 
to  die."  He  obeyed  the  injunction  of  the  Good  Book:  u Re- 
member now  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth."  When  22 
years  of  age  he  united  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Clays 
ville,  near  his  native  home,  in  which  he  was  ruling  elder  for 
thirty-five  years,  superintendent  of  the  Sabbath  school  fifteen 
,years,  and  leader  of  the  church  choir  for  half  a  century,  and 
was  also  an  active  member  ofthe  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation of  the  same  place  from  the  date  of  its  organization. 
During  his  stay  at  Washington  City  he  was  an  active  member 
ofthe  Gurley  Memorial  Church  Sunday  school  and  a  strict  at- 
tendant on  religious  services. 

The  career  of  Mr.  CRAIG  was  rounded  out  fittingly  in  the  man- 
ner of  his  death,  which  was  as  peaceful  as  his  life  was  beautiful. 
After  an  illness  of  some  two  months 'he  died  at  home,  sur- 
rounded by  his  loving  family  and  kind  friends,  on  July  29, 1892. 
Always  living  so  as  to  be  ready  to  meet  the  final  summons 
calmly  when  it  came,  his  spirit  inarched  trustingly  over  the 
silent  river,  secure  in  the  assurance  of  the  final  good  reward  of 
the  Christian  soldier  who  had  lovingly  and  loyally  obeyed  the 
orders  of  the  great  Captain  of  Salvation. 

A  nobleman,  a  loving  husband,  a  kind  father,  a  true  patriot, 
and  a  sincere,  faithful  Christian  passed  away  when  the  Angel 
of  Death  touched  ALEXANDER  KERR  CRAIG. 

The  sculptor's  chisel,  the  meteors  of  thought  flashing  from 
the  poet's  pen,  the  biography  penned  in  chaste  and  beautiful 
language,  and  the  melody  of  song  have  all  been  employed  to 
perpetuate  after  death  the  memory  of  those  who  in  life  were 
(  beloved  and  esteemed  for  their  patriotism,  heroism,  and  states- 
manship; but  greater,  more  enduring,  and  more  to  be  desired 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  13 

than  any  one  or  all  of  these  is  the  monument  of  a  life  devoted 
to  duty,  guided  and  controlled  by  the  rule  of  conduct  taught 
and  practiced  by  the  great  Exemplar  and  Saviour  of  mankind 
in  Judea  almost  nineteen  hundred  years  ago:  "Love  thy  neigh- 
bor as  thyself;"  ''Therefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would 
that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 

Such  a  monument  Mr.  CRAIG  has  left  behind  him,  and  who 
of  us  would  not  rejoice  to  leave  such  a  legacy  behind  us  when 
Ave  pass  to  the  great  beyond? 

Mr.  Speaker,  the  field  of  partisan  political  strife  is  often  rank 
with  the  weeds  of  personal  detraction,  and  frequently  influ- 
ential and  prominent  citizens  avoid  political  duty  on  this 
account ;  but  whilst  its  hedges  and  neglected  corners  have  grown 
wild  with  these  disfiguring  plants,  its  cultivated  soil  yields 
abundantly  the  flowers  that  charm  the  senses  and  the  fruits 
that  enable  American  civilization  to  hold  the  first  place  in  the 
world  of  nations. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  truth,  I  need  only  to  refer  to  the 
amenities  that  have  lately  been  shown  to  the  memory  of 
deceased  political  opponents  by  our  household  of  the  Demo- 
cratic faith — memorial  actions  that  ennoble  human  nature  and 
honor  American  character.  The  tribute  recently  paid  by  Mr. 
Cleveland  to  Kutherford  B.  Hayes  was  as  graceful  as  it  was 
worthy  of  the  man  and  the  occasion.  The  honor  shown  James 
(\.  Blame  gilds  with  equal  glory  the  dead  and  the  living,  and 
is  not  less  meritorious  because  it  proceeds  from  Eepublican 
friends  and  former  Democratic  foes  alike. 

When  ALEXANDER  KERR  CRAIG  died,  some  of  the  kind- 
liest, sweetest  courtesies  of  life  were  shown  his  memory  by 
Eepublican  opponents  of  his  district.  They  illustrate  fully  the 
American  political  traits  I  have  been  referring  to  and  provethat 
American  manners  are  generous,  humane,  and  kind.' 

They  all  testify  how  great  was  the  loss  to  the  conn  try  when  he 


14          Address  of  Mr.  Sipe,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

died,  and  how  he  was  esteemed  by  his  political  foes  as  well  as 
his  friends. 

Let  me  close  my  imperfect  remarks  by  quoting  the  following 
graceful  tribute  which  appeared  in  a  Eepublican  paper  of  Mr. 
CRAIG'S  county,  and  which  is  from  the  pen  of  a  prominent 
Eepublican,  acquainted  with  the  deceased  for  many  years: 

In  the  death  of  Alexander  K.  Craig  is  sustained  the  loss  of  a  citizen  whose 
life  and  worth  adds  largely  to  the  already  long  list  of  those  who  have  made 
illustrious  the  history  of  Washington  County.  He  was  one  of  whom  it  has 
always  heen  said,  He  is  a  good  man.  Nowhere  has  this  oftener  been  said 
than  within  the  radius  of  his  direct  personal  influence.  His  home  recog- 
nized in  him  the  industrious,  toiling  provider  of  its  comforts  and  advan- 
tages, an  affectionate  husband,  a  wise  and  tender  father.  His  neighbor- 
hood knew  him  as  a  friend  in  time  of  need,  a  counselor  in  trouble,  a  genial 
companion  in  all  social  relations.  His  church  had  in  him  a  vigilant, 
prayerful,  and  consistent  member,  a  workman  whose  interest  never  flagged, 
a  watchman  always  to  be  found  at  the  post  of  duty. 

Intelligent,  honest,  strong  in  his  convictions,  and  untiring  in  his  efforts; 
his  home,  his  neighborhood,  and  his  church  are  all  the  better  for  his  having 
lived.  In  his  death  they  have  sustained  a  loss,  which  the  tender  sym- 
pathy of  friends  and  the  healing  influence  of  time  may  mitigate,  but  can 
never  restore.  In  person,  strong  and  self-reliant;  in  deportment,  genial 
and  courteous ;  in  business,  upright  and  honorable,  Mr.  Craig  brought  to 
bear  upon  all  his  relations  to  the  times  and  community  in  which  he  lived 
an  influence  that  was  widespread  and  always  for  good. 

An  intelligent  man,  a  reader,  he  was  always  well-versed  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  current  events  and  affairs  of  the  day,  whether  from  an  educational, 
political,  or  religious  standpoint.  And  while  his  rugged  character  and 
qtrong  self-reliance  required  him  to  adhere  with  tenacity  to  those  views 
which  his  judgment  and  investigation  led  him  to  adopt,  his  sincerity  was 
undoubted,  his  integrity  unquestioned. 

Holding  the  warmest  place  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  knew  him  best, 
whether  at  the  home  fireside,  in  the  circle  of  friendship,  or  within  the 
sacred  precincts  of  Sunday  school  and  church,  his  life  and  character  have 
been  a  tower  of  strength,  and  his  memory  shall  be  a  benediction  to  those 
who  loved  him  so  well.  As  has  been  said  of  another  good  man  and  true, 
whose  loss  is  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of  many  friends,  may  with  equal 
truth  be  written  of  Alexander  K.  Craig : 

Oh  iron  nerve  to  true  occasion  true, 

Oh  fall'ii  at  length  that  tower  of  strength 
That  stood  four  square  to  all  the  winds  that  blew! 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig*  15 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  O'NEILL,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  In  the  Fifty-first  Congress  the  delegation 
of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  House  of  Eepresentatives 
suffered  great  loss  in  the  death  of  several  of  its  well-known 
members.  They  will  be  cherished  forever  in  the  affectionate 
memory  of  the  people  of  that  Commonwealth  and  the  country 
at  large.  Kelley,  Randall,  and  Watson,  esteemed  colleagues 
and  warm  friends  and  associates  of  mine,  were  "  called  away" 
in  the  midst  of  their  duties  of  membership,  lamented  by  all. 
Two  of  them,  Kelley  and  Randall,  had  gained  the  broadest 
experience,  coming  from  many  years  of  service,  while  Watson 
was  adding  to  his  usefulness,  though  of  shorter  service. 

To-day  we,  as  Pennsylvauians,  especially  mourn  the  decease 
of  a  colleague,  ALEXANDER  KERR  CRAIG,  who,  after  a  contest 
during  the  last  session,  was  admitted  as  a  member.  I  sought 
his  acquaintance  soon  after  he  was  sworn  in,  and  found  him  to 
be  a  cultured  gentleman,  of  dignified  manners,  to  whom,  upon 
longer  association,  I  am  sure  I  would  have  become  personally 
attached.  He  lived  but  a  few  months  to  serve  his  people,  and 
he  had  been  diligent  and  attentive,  wishing  in  the  exercise  of 
an  intelligent  judgment  to  so  act  as  their  Representative  as 
would  entitle  him  to  their  commendation. 

Mr.  CRAIG  had  been  from  an  early  age  a  teacher,  and  contin- 
uing such  in  his  more  matured  life  he  had  achieved  an  extended 
reputation  as  an  educator,  many  of  the  best  known  citizens  of 
Washington  County,  Pa.,  having  been  instructed  by  him,  and 
his  teachings  to  those  scholars  admitted  by  them,  as  they 
advanced  to  success  in  their  varied  occupations,  as  the  founda- 
tion of  their  usefulness  to  their  fellow-men  and  of  their  promo- 
tions as  their  years  of  activity  progressed. 


46       Address  of  Mr.  O*  Neill,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

To  ine  there  is  no  sphere  of  life  excelling  that  of  educating 
youth.  I  have  often  thought  that  those  who  accepted  the  posi- 
tions of  school  directors  and  of  membership  in  educational 
boards  were  taking  upon  themselves  great  responsibilities, 
and  were  doing  unsurpassed  work  for  the  rising  generations, 
always,  when  their  duties  were  conscientiously  done,  certain 
to  rise,  if  from  gratitude  only,  to  places  of  eminence.  Kepre- 
sentative  positions  in  municipal  bodies,  in  the  legislatures  of 
the  States,  and  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  are 
reached  by  many  aiders  in  education,  and  by  the  teachers. 
]Sow,  many  such  have  become  distinguished  in  the  Halls  of  the 
Senate  and  House,  and  have  filled  with  honor  the  higher 
places  in  our  Government — yes,  the  very  highest. 

Mr.  CRAIG  had  such  a  training  and  such  a  desire  to  be  a  use- 
ful member  that  longer  service  here  would  have  given  him 
position  and  prominence.  He  has  been  taken  from  us  and  we 
must  bow  to  Providence.  The  House  by  his  removal  has  lost 
a  gentleman  and  a  scholar. 

For  several  years  prior  to  his  coming  to  Congress  he  had 
devoted  himself  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  At  the  call  of 
his  country  in  the  days  of  the  rebellion  he  offered  himself  as  a 
soldier  and  served  gallantly  in  a  Peusylvania  regiment. 
A  teacher,  a  soldier,  a  farmer,  he  came  fully  equipped  for 
Congressional  duty.  A  Christian  gentleman,  he  lived  up  to 
his  faith.  An  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  he  died  in 
the  hope  of  an  eternal  life  in  Heaven.  We  mourn  for  him  and 
offer  such  consolation  to  his  family  and  friends  as  man  can  give. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  17 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  GILLESPIE,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  of  Washington 
County,  Pa.,  occupied  a  seat  in  this  House  but  a  short 
time  until  failing  health  came  to  him.  His  stay  among 
us,  however,  was  long  enough  to  convince  all  who  had  the  pleas- 
ure of  his  acquaintance  that  he  was  an  honest,  upright,  and 
conscientious  man.  He  was  industrious,  diligent,  and  pains- 
taking in  all  his  labors,  patient,  even-tempered,  kind,  and  cour- 
teous with  everybody. 

His  private  life  was  that  of  a  pure  man,  a  model  husband, 
kind  father,  helpful  neighbor,  and  good  citizen.  He  had  his 
share  to  do  in  every  laudable  undertaking  in  the  community 
in  which  he  lived  and  he  did  it  well. 

He  never  boasted,  never  pretended,  but  with  promptness 
always  acted  well  his  part  at  home,  in  church,  in  State,  and 
wherever  else  duty  called  him.  His  neighbors  appreciated 
him  and  realized  that  he  was  well  qualified  to  represent  them 
in  Congress.  The  nomination  came  without  his  seeking  and 
without  his  knowledge.  The  committee  appointed  to  notify 
him  of  his  nomination  found  him  in  his  harvest  field  binding 
wheat,  and  I  am  told  that  it  was  with  great  reluctance  that  he 
accepted,  preferring,  as  he  himself  said,  to  continue  to  live  a 
quiet,  peaceful  life  rather  than  to  engage  in  the  activities  of  a 
public  life.  Mr.  CRAIG  was  elected,  but  the  certificate  of  elec- 
tion was  given  to  his  adversary. 

He  came  to  this  House  as  a  contestant  for  the  seat  which  was 
subsequently  awarded  to  him  The  history  of  that  election 
contest  will  show  nothing  for  which  the  friends  of  ALEXANDER 
K.  CRAIG  need  blush.  The  evidence  of  the  political  battle 
through  which  he  passed  to  obtain  his  election  has  been  writ- 
H.  Mis.  97 2 


18      Address  of  Mr.  Gillespie,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

ten.  and  upon  no  page  can  there  be  found  a  single  line 
imputing  to  him  any  act  or  word  not  in  harmony  with  honesty, 
fairness,  and  sincerity. 

To  pass  through  the  political  campaign  and  subsequent  con- 
test that  Mr.  CRAIG  did  to  gain  his  seat  was  a  great  trial.  It 
tried  his  honesty  and  his  integrity,  but  with  all  he  came  out  a 
clean  man. 

His  fortitude,  his  courage,  and  his  manliness  never  changed. 
He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  with  the  fixed  and 
determined  purpose  of  doing  right,  and  could  always  be  found 
at  his  desk  earnestly  endeavoring  to  do  his  whole  duty.  He 
never  jested.  His  thoughts  were  at  all  times  sincere  and  pure. 
No  vulgar  or  profane  word  ever  fell  from  his  lips.  His  life  was 
one  of  candor  and  earnestness.  He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the 
advantages  of  living  in  accordance  with  scriptural  teachings. 
He  was  a  good  man,  and  whatever  the  rewards  of  having  lived 
a  life  of  purity  and  of  goodness  are,  they  will  certainly  be  his. 

While  we  pay  our  heartfelt  tributes  to  the  memory  of  our 
friend  who  has  gone  from  among  us  forever,  let  us  endeavor  to 
imitate  his  many  good  qualities.  His  praiseworthy  character 
is  worthy  of  emulation.  He  lived  a  good  life  and  passed  peace- 
fully away.  How  often  are  we  reminded  of  the  lines  written 
by  Homer: 

Like  leaves  on  trees  the  race  of  man  is  found, 

Now  green  in  youth,  now  withering  on  the  ground ; 

Another  race  the  following  spring  supplies : 

They  fall  successive,  and  successive  rise ; 

So  generations  in  their  course  decay ; 

So  flourish  these  when  those  are  passed  away. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  19 


ADDRESS  OF  MR,  AMERMAN,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  In  the  few  months  of  my  acquaintance 
with  our  departed  brother,  in  many  pleasant  conversations  he 
revealed  himself  to  me  a  man  honest,  earnest,  faithful,  ambi- 
tions to  serve  God  and  his  fellow-man. 

His  life  had  been  a  struggle  from  childhood.  It  is  these  who 
develop  our  resources,  till  our  soil,  open  our  mines,  operate  our 
manufactories,  build  and  manage  our  railroads,  carry  on  our 
trade,  make  and  execute  our  laws,  build  up  society,  maintain 
our  institutions,  and  make  us  great  and  strong.  It  is  these 
whom  God  and  men  honor. 

Opposition  had  made  him  reliant  and  equal  to  the  discharge 
of  duty.  The  stages  of  his  life  were  marked  by  victories  j  for  he 
never  retreated,  and  halted  not  until  he  was  victorious.  He 
studied  to  know  the  right  and  was  thus  blessed.  He  was 
a  man  of  few  words  but  of  many  deeds ;  and  so  his  life  was 
indeed  a  long  one,  for  "man  lives  by  deeds,  not  words." 

He  believed  in  God ;  he  also  believed  in  man.  Strong  in  mind 
and  body,  actuated  by  noble  purposes,  inspired  by  lofty  ambi- 
tions, under  the  certain  laws  of  human  development  success 
was  the  inevitable  end.  To  him  time  and  eternity  were  one, 
and  death  was  but  a  station  in  a  life  that  knows  no  end.  His 
purpose  was,  therefore,  not  to  strive  to  get  through  life  on 
earth  easily  and  somehow  avoid  punishment  at  its  end,  but  to 
begin  and  carry  on  as  well  and  as  far  as  possible  the  culture 
of  his  soul  toward  perfection,  toward  the  fulfillment  of  the  end 
of  Ids  being,  to  be  fully  completed  hereafter. 

uWe  sleep,  but  the  loom  of  eternal  life  never  stops;  and  the 
pattern  which  was  weaving  when  the  sun  went  down  is  weav- 
ing when  it  comes  up  to-morrow  in  the  beyond." 

You  all  remember  the  beautiful  story  of  Eichter.     A  little 


20     Address  of  Mr.  Amerman,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

girl  at  the  dusk  of  evening,  as  she  was  about  to  follow  a  path 
through  a  cemetery,  was  asked  by  one  who  chanced  to  meet 
her  whether  she  was  not  afraid  to  pass  through  the  cemetery 
in  the  dark.  "  Oh,  no,"  she  replied,  "  for  this  is  the  way  to  my 
home."  Our  brother  had  no  fear  of  death,  no  fear  to  pass 
through  the  cemetery  in  the  dark,  because  he  believed  and 
knew  that  that  was  the  way  to  his  home. 

Sharing  this  belief  with  him,  while  I  pay  my  sorrowful 
tribute  of  respect  to  his  memory,  I  joyfully  think  of  his  present 
and  future.  Through  the  mystery  of  birth  he  came  from  God 
a  living  soul;  through  the  no  greater  mystery  of  death  he 
departed  to  God,  the  same  living  soul.  Between  these  myste- 
rious boundaries  of  his  earthly  life,  saved  from  sin  with  love 
to  God,  by  a  continuous,  progressive  change,  according  to 
certain  laws  and  by  means  of  resident  forces,  his  soul  grew, 
or,  may  I  say,  evolved  to  its  maturer,  higher,  better,  and 
more  perfected  state.  To  the  believer  of  the  immortality  of 
the  soul  this  growth,  this  evolution,  never  ceases. 

There  is  110  death!  what  seems  so  is  transition; 

This  life  of  mortal  breath 
Is  but  a  suburb  of  the  life  Elysian 

Whose  portals  we  call  death. 

His  service  in  this  House  was  short,  but  in  that  short  time 
lie  showed  himself  well  equipped  for  the  duties  of  a  legislator. 
He  was  well  informed  upon  all  public  questions.  He  was  strong 
in  counsel  and  safe  in  resolution.  His  votes  were  those  of 
conviction  and  not  of  policy.  He  was  a  true,  honest,  and 
respected  officer  of  the  church,  serving  God  by  serving  his 
fellows.  Trusted  by  his  fellow-citizens  through  a  long  life,  he 
never  betrayed  their  trust.  With  the  same  fidelity  with  which 
he  served  the  community  in  which  he  lived  he  served  the 
State,  as  well  on  the  field  of  battle  as  in  its  legislative  halls. 

He  loved  God,  he  loved  his  fellow-man,  he  loved  the  State. 
Than  this,  no  higher  eulogy  could  any  one  desire  for  himself. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig,          21 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  STOCKDALE,  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  I  respond  willingly  to  the  invitation  to  speak 
of  a  deceased  member  of  a  remarkable  family  that  I  knew  in 
my  youth,  and  which,  in  obedience  to  the  nervous  impulses  of 
this  marvelous  Anglo-Saxon  race,  dispersed  over  the  Union  to 
meet  again  only  beyond  the  horizon. 

One  brother  traveled  towards  the  setting  sun  and  paused  not 
until  he  stood  upon  the  banks  of  that  ambitious  river  that 
well-nigh  spans  a  continent,  and  has  since  filled  the  Great 
Northwest  with  the  fame  of  his  eloquence  and  learning. 

Another,  equally  brilliant,  full  of  young  life  and  buoyant 
hopes,  set  his  face  southward,  floating  down  the  heaving  bosom 
of  that  "monarch  stream"  to  the  queenly  city  of  Natchez, 
resting  on  the  overlooking  bluff  in  that  hospitable  realm  of 
soft  breezes  and  blushing  flowers;  not  long  to  survive,  how- 
ever. Disease  laid  its  spectral  hand  on  his  noble  brow  and  in 
the  morning  of  his  glorious  manhood  he  departed  on  his  jour- 
ney to  the  skies. 

Another,  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  remained  near  the  ances- 
tral home  in  the  land  of  his  birth  to  be  commissioned  by  a 
cultured  people  to  a  seat  in  the  council  chamber  of  the  superbest 
nation  of  the  earth,  and  with  his  name  still  upon  the  roll  to  be 
called  to  join  the  parliament  of  the  redeemed  in  the  federation 
of  the  eternal  world,  and  his  people  have  honored  his  memory 
in  the  high  character  of  his  successor. 

But  it  is  of  life  not  of  death  I  desire  to  speak.  Death  is  but 
the  end  of  the  span — the  terminus  of  a  life  full  rounded  to  its 
close  or  severed  in  twain  while  yet  its  rich  current  flows  full 
and  strong  with  bright  hopes  of  success. 


22       Address  of  Mr.  Stockdale,  of  Mississippi,  on  the 

Death  is  but  au  incident  on  the  way,  while  life  itself  is  an 
eternal  pulsation  of  joy. 

To  pass  below  the  horizon  of  life  is  but  to  enter  into  the 
endless  morning  of  another  sphere.     Death  in  this  world  is  a 
birth  into  the  next.     What  is  life  ?     Who  can  answer  ? 

Confucius,  when  asked  to  explain  death,  said,  "  How  can  I 
explain  death  when  I  do  not  understand  life."  We  know  that 
to  be,  to  exist,  to  live,  is  the  thrill  of  joy  which  we  feel  and 
can  not  explain.  The  human  soul  enmeshed  in  the  nerve 
system  is  the  highest  exaltation  of  life.  Verily  is  man  wonder- 
fully and  fearfully  made.  Only  in  his  dual  structure  the 
physical  and  spiritual  worlds  meet  "  and  are  made  acquaint." 
The  thrill  of  that  touch  caused  the  morning  stars  to  sing 
together  and  the  sons  of  God  to  shout  for  joy. 

To  sever  such  an  existence  would  seem  cruel  but  for  the  truth 
that  it  opens  the  door  to  the  grander  endless  life.  "I  •am  the 
resurrection  and  the  life"  echoed  through  the  Greek  and 
Roman  and  now  reverberates  through  all  the  avenues  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  civilization.  To  live  uprightly  is  to  live  glori- 
ously, in  view  of  that  coming  life. 

The  breath  of  God  that  entered  the  nostrils  and  vitalized 
the  inert  body  of  the  first  father  has  come  percolating  down 
through  the  generations,  through  the  races,  "through  the 
ages,"  throwing  scintillations  like  David  and  Homer  and  Mil 
ton  into  the  skies,  causing  luminaries  like  Plato  and  Newton 
to  rise  upon  the  world,  causing  the  illuminations  of  the  suc- 
cessive civilizations  until  the  amazing  height  upon  which  we 
stand  is  reached,  and  from  which  we  can  look  back  by  the 
light  of  temporal  and  revealed  history  along  the  way  the 
human  race  has  come  and  see  that  many  of  the  great  actors 
that  convulsed  society  were  not  benefactors,  and  not  a  few 
were  glittering  curses  to  humanity,  and  we  learn  as  well  that 
giant  intellects  have  often  been  the  wreckers  of  nations  and 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.          23 

governments  while  others  were  saved  by  men  of  seemingly 
less  imposing  stature,  who,  with  well-balanced  minds  and 
patriotic  purpose,  strived  ever  towards  the  truth  and  justice. 
Great  intellects  without  the  restraint  of  noble  hearts  are 
keen  blades  that  save  or  destroy  with  equal  facility.  The 
safety  of  liberty  and  civilization  lies  in  the  great  heart  of  the 
people.  I  once  saw  a  waijt',  headed  "Fame,"  in  eight  lines: 

The  night  has  a  thousand  eyes, 

The  day  has  one  •; 
Yet  the  light  of  the  bright  world  dies 

With  the  setting  sun. 

The  mind  has  a  thousand  eyes, 

The  heart  has  one ; 
Yet  the  light  of  a  whole  life  dies 

When  love  is  done. 

They  who  live  with  the  high  purpose  to  benefit  mankind, 
and  march  with  steady  eye  and  sure  footsteps  in  the  great 
battle  between  good  and  evil,  are  the  real  heroes,  and  to  their 
memory  monuments  should  be  builded  highest  and  polished 
brightest,  so  that  the  rays  of  every  new  morning  will  reflect 
first  the  glory  of  true  men. 

The  superb  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  has  no  more 
luminous  constellation  in  her  canopy  of  intellectual  glory  than 
that  of  the  great  minds  of  her  beautiful  trans  montes  valley, 
in  which  the  twenty -fourth  district  rests ;  nor  is  there  a  brighter 
spot  on  the  polished  surface  of  the  keystone  of  this  wondrous 
arch  than  Washington  County,  wherein  the  massive  intellect 
of  Thomas  McKennon  was  developed  and  the  dazzling  intel- 
lect of  James  G.  Elaine  first  flashed  upon  the  world,  and  where 
many  other  families  of  renown  still  live. 

It  was  such  a  people,  with  the  honors  of  historic  names 
resting  upon  them,  cultured,  intellectual,  and  great,  that 
commissioned  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG  to  the  custody  of  their 
interests  in  the  nation's  parliament,  whose  grandeur  is  not 


24       Address  of  Mr.  Wilson,  of  West  Virginia,  on  the 

surpassed.  That  is  in  itself  a  complete  eulogium,  more 
eloquent  than  I  can  speak. 

That  chaplet  of  the  hearts  of  that  superb  people  I  lay  upon 
the  grave  of  the  soldier  who  fought  in  the  front  lines  of  the 
battle  and  was  too  brave  for  revenge  after  the  struggle  ceased. 

In  that  benediction  I  embalm  his  memory  and  say,  llest. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  WILSON,  OF  WEST  VIRGINIA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  I  should  resist  the  promptings  of  my  heart 
and  deny  myself  a  sad  pleasure  if  when  the  friends  of  Mr. 
CRAIG  are  honoring  his  memory  I  failed  to  oifer  my  own  sincere 
tribute  of  respect  and  of  friendship.  I  knew  him  only  during 
his  brief  service  in  this  Chamber,  and  my  impressions  of  the 
man  are  derived  entirely  from  my  association  with  him  in  that 
service.  When  he  came  here  at  the  beginning  of  the  present 
Congress  as  a  contestant  for  a  seat  in  this  House  a  letter  from 
a  mutual  friend  made  us  acquainted,  and  when  he  was  awarded 
that  seat  by  a  practically  unanimous  vote  the  desk  to  which  he 
was  assigned  made  him  my  immediate  neighbor. 

In  this  daily  association  I  learned  to  look  on  him  as  a  personal 
friend  and  to  respect  him  as  a  faithful  and  conscientious  repre- 
sentative of  his  people.  He  was  a  painstaking  and  most  indus- 
trious worker,  constant  in  his  attendance  upon  the  sessions  of 
the  House,  and  watchful  of  its  business.  In  voting  upon  public 
measures  he  was  more  desirous  of  getting  at  what  was  right 
in  principle  than  what  was  popular  in  policy.  He  had  an  intel- 
ligent and  firm  grasp  of  the  fundamental  differences  which 
separate  the  two  great  political  organizations  of  this  country, 
and  a  hearty  loyalty  to  the  party  of  his  choice,  free  from  per- 
sonal prejudice  or  partisan  bigotry.  His  qualities  had  nothing 
showy  in  them.  They  were  the  plain  and  simple  virtues  that 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.          25 

beget  increasing  respect  and  confidence  as  men  see  more  of 
them  and  learn  to  trust  more  in  their  solidity. 

Had  he  lived  I  can  not  doubt  that  he  would  have  gained  a 
very  strong  hold  upon  the  good  will  and  affection  of  his  con- 
stituents and  won  for  himself  in  this  House  the  confidence  that 
seldom  fails  to  reward  a  sincere  man,  a  well-balanced  and  indus- 
trious Representative.  In  private  intercourse  Mr.  CRAIG  bore 
himself  always  as  a  modest,  kindly  Christian  gentleman,  and 
this,  I  think,  is  the  highest  eulogy  I  can  pay  to  him.  I  deplore 
his  sudden  death,  Mr.  Speaker,  as  the  loss  of  a  useful,  discreet, 
and  patriotic  member  of  Congress,  and  I  mourn  for  him  in  the 
sincerity  of  true  friendship,  for  it  was  with  that  feeling  I  had 
learned  to  regard  him. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  KRIBBS,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER  :  Brief  as  was  our  acquaintance  in  this  Hall 
with  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  it  was  sufficient  to  reveal  to  us 
the  excellent  traits  of  his  character. 

These  were  an  upright  love  of  honesty,  staunch  maintenance 
of  conviction,  with  fidelity  to  principle  and  generous  courtesy 
to  those  of  opposite  views. 

In  his  private  life,  amongst  his  family  and  friends,  his  was 
the  kindly  disposition  that  carried  with  it  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all  who  knew  him.  Earnest  and  active  in  all  good 
works,  sincere  in  his  professions  and  correct,  according  to  the 
laws  of  God  and  man,  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow-men. 

It  was  my  privilege  to  attend  as  a  representative  of  this 
body  the  simple  funeral  of  this  plain  man  up  amid  the  hills  of 
his  native  State.  It  was  a  mournful  pleasure  to  witness  the 
high  esteem  shown  his  memory  by  those  who  had  known  him 


26        Address  of  Mr.  Kribbs,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

in  his  daily  life,  had  seen  his  going  out  and  coming  in  for  so 
many  years. 

When  I  stood  in  .that  little  church  where  he  had  worshiped 
his  God  with  all  the  religious  earnestness  of  his  nature,  and 
saw  the  moist  eye  and  quivering  lip  as  his  neighbors  looked  for 
the  last  time  upon  his  placid  face,  I  knew  that  we  had  not  been 
mistaken  in  our  estimate  of  the  man. 

There  were  present  some  who  had  known  him  from  his  boy- 
hood, who  had  served  with  him  in  the  councils  of  his  church 
and  upon  the  tented  field;  some  who  had  been  under  his  teach- 
ings in  the  Sabbath  school,  now  men  and  women  grown,  lead- 
ing their  children  who  likewise  had  listened  to  his  kindly 
teachings,  and  as  they  passed  each  laid  some  bud  or  blossom 
or  sprig  of  green  upon  his  dreamless  couch  in  sweet  remem- 
brance of  his  virtues.  And  when  his  comrades  in  blue,  wear- 
ing the  bronze  button  of  the  Grand  Army,  lame  and  bowed, 
gray  with  years  and  stricken  with  grief,  passed  in  review 
before  the  last  conqueror  of  us  all,  it  was  asked  of  one  stand- 
ing by,  "  Did  our  friend  have  an  army  record?"  "  Aye,"  was 
the  response,  "  as  in  everything  else,  Mr.  CRAIG  made  a  good 
record  as  a  soldier."  Who  knowing  the  man  could  doubt  it  — 
always  doing  the  duty  nearest  him  with  earnestness  and 
fidelity. 

It  is  not  the  great  men  of  the  world  whose  influence  is  for 
the  best  or  the  most  far  reaching,  but  it  is  of  those  in  every- 
day life  in  an  everyday  world  who  impress  their  worth  and 
character  upon  those  with  whom  they  come  in  contact,  who  in 
turn  transfer  the  impulse  to  others.  A  word  fitly  spoken,  the 
inspiration,  we  might  say  the  contagion  of  right  example, 
a  single  kindly  act,  may  go  on  through  all  time  gathering 
volume  and  bestowing  blessing.  Such  a  man  and  citizen  was 
our  deceased  colleague.  Hearts,  not  books,  bear  the  record 
of  such  lives. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  27 

As  has  been  said  of  oue  great  in  the  history  of  his  country, 
we  may  say  of  this  one,  who  was  good,  whose  memory  is  a 
shining  light  in  the  annals  of  his  neighborhood : 

Were  a  star  quenched  on  high, 

For  ages  would  its  light, 
Still  traveling  downward  from  on  high, 

Shine  on  our  mortal  sight. 

So  when  a  good  man  dies, 

For  years  beyond  our  ken 
The  light  he  leaves  behind  him  lies 

Upon  the  path  of  men. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  SEERLEY,  OF  IOWA. 

Mr.  SPEAKER:  It  is  a  pleasure  for  me  to  be  permitted  to 
add  a  few  words  to  the  many  kind  ones  which  have  been  said 
in  this  House  in  memory  of  Mr.  CRAIG. 

His  term  of  service  in  the  House  of  Bepresentatives  of  the 
United  States  was  short,  but  by  his  frankness  and  his  integ- 
rity he  had  won  the  respect  of  all  who  had  become  acquainted 
with  him. 

The  honorable  life  which  he  led  at  home  and  the  respect  in 
which  he  was  held  by  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances  have 
been  told  by  Eepresentatives  from  his  own  State,  and  I  can 
add  nothing  thereto.  However,  I  desire  to  say,  as  one  of  those 
appointed  by  the  Speaker  to  attend  his  funeral,  that  I  was 
deeply  impressed  not  only  by  the  action  of  his  friends  and 
neighbors  when  they  spoke  of  his  many  virtues  and  what  he 
had  done  for  the  people  among  whom  he  had  always  lived, 
but  also  by  the  love  shown  by  the  young  men  and  women  and 
even  the  children  for  their  teacher  and  adviser  and  their 
sorrow  at  his  untimely  death. 

The  first  time  I  ever  met  the  deceased  was  when  he  was  visit- 
ing his  son  in  Keokuk,  Iowa,  and  I  found  him  then  to  be  the 


Address  of  Mr.  Seerley,  of  Iowa,  on  the 

same  upright  and  honorable  gentleman  that  he  proved  himself 
to  be  while  making  his  contest  for  a  seat  in  the  Fifty-second 
Congress.  We  talked  over  the  campaign  through  which  he 
had  just  passed,  and  he  ended  the  conversation  by  saying,  "I 
believe  I  was  duly  and  legally  elected  to  Congress  from  my 
district.  My  friends  are  confident  that  I  was  elected.  I  pro- 
pose to  present  my  case  fairly  to  the  House,  as  I  did  to  the 
people.  If  the  members  of  the  Fifty-second  Congress  think  I 
was  legally  elected  by  the  people  I  want  my  seat.  I  think  it 
an  honor  to  be  a  member  of  Congress,  but  I  do  not  want  to  be 
a  member  of  Congress  if  I  was  not  honestly  elected." 

From  my  acquaintance  with  his  sou,  Hon.  John  E.  Craig,  of 
Keokuk,  Iowa,  I  soon  became  intimately  acquainted  with  Mr. 
CRAIG  and  met  him  almost  daily  in  Washington  during  the 
time  he  was  making  the  contest.  During  all  that  time  I  never 
heard  from  him  even  so  much  as  a  suggestion  that  his  case 
should  be  decided  in  his  favor  upon  any  technicality  or  because 
his  political  party  had  the  power.  His  entire  plea  was  to  lay 
prejudice  aside  and  do  justice  regardless  of  what  might  be  the 
result.  Such  a  showing  when  so  many  political  battles  are 
sought  to  be  won  without  regard  to  the  means  employed  speaks 
volumes  in  honor  of  tne  man  to  whose  memory  we  do  credit 
this  day. 

It  was  this  manliness  of  character  which  also  protected  him, 
during  the  heat  of  the  political  contest  through  which  he  passed 
and  his  subsequent  contest  in  this  House,  from  those  political 
assaults  which  are  a  disgrace  to  our  American  journalism. 
But  his  life  demonstrated  the  fact  that  a  character  built  up  by 
observing  the  Golden  Eule  is  a  shield  which  is  able  to  protect 
even  a  candidate  for  office  against  misrepresentation  and  abuse. 
I  believe  if  he  had  been  spared  he  would  have  made  a  useful 
legislator  and  would  have  always  been  found  working  for  the 
interests  of  his  people. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  29 

At  tbe  time  of  his  death  he  was  representing  a  district  now 
historic.  Until  the  great  labor  problem  shall  have  been  set- 
tled the  word  "  Homestead"  will  be  a  warning  and  a  lesson  to 
both  laborers  and  capitalists.  That  herculean  struggle  which, 
in  my  judgment,  did  much  to  decide  the  great  political  contest 
of  1892,  had  just  commenced  when  his  labors  were  ended. 
Sickness  kept  him  from  taking  any  part  in  seeking  its  settle- 
ment. 

He  lived  upon  a  farm,  but  near  the  greatest  manufacturing 
center  of  the  world.  With  such  surroundings  he  studied  the 
great  political  and  social  questions.  He  gained  his  knowledge 
not  only  by  reading,  but  from  observation.  From  his  experience 
thus  gained  he  undertook  to  legislate.  He  was  the  friend  of 
the  farmer,  and  the  laborer.  He  demanded  equal  rights  for  all. 
He  believed  the  only  way  to  preserve  and  perpetuate  free 
institutions  was  by  doing  justice  to  all  interests  and  all  people. 

It  was  such  a  man  the  Fifty-second  Congress  and  the  people 
lost  by  the  death  of  Mr.  CRAIG — a  man  who  was  loved  and 
respected  as  husband,  father,  citizen,  and  statesman. 

Mr.  SIPB.  Mr.  Speaker,  I  move  the  adoption  of  the  resolu- 
tions. 

The  resolutions  were  agreed  to;  and  in  accordance  with  the 
terms  thereof,  at  4  o'clock  and  19  minutes  p.  m.,  the  House,  as  a 
further  mark  of  respect  to  the  deceased,  adjourned  until  to-mor- 
row at  11  o'clock  a.  in. 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  THE  SENATE. 


ANNOUNCEMENT  OF  DEATH. 


JULY  30, 1892. 

Mr.  QUAY.  It  is  my  painful  duty  to  announce  that  my  col- 
league, ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  a  member  of  the  House  of  Kep- 
resentatives,  died  at  his  home  last  night,  and  to  ask  that  there 
be  placed  before  the  Senate  the  resolutions  in  relation  to  his 
death  received  a  few  moments  ago  from  the  House  of  Bepre- 
sentatives. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.  The  Chair  lays  before  the  Senate  the 
action  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives,  which  will  be  read. 

The  Secretary  read  as  follows : 

IN  THE  HOUSE  OP  REPRESENTATIVES,  July  30, 1892. 

Resolved,  That  the  House  has  heard  with  deep  regret  and  profound  sor- 
row of  the  death  of  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  late  a  Representative  from 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  seven  members  of  the  House,  with  such 
members  of  the  Senate  as  may  be  named  by  it,  be  appointed  to  attend  the 
funeral  at  Claysville,  Pa. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the  Senate 
and  transmit  a  copy  of  the  same  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the- 
deceased,  the  House  do  now  adjourn. 

The  Speaker  announced  the  appointment  of  Mr.  KRIBBS,  Mr.  SEERLEY, 
Mr.  GILLESPIE,  Mr.  CAMINETTI,  Mr.  HUFF,  Mr.  RAINES,  and  Mr.  BROSIUS 
as  the  committee  provided  for  in  the  foregoing  resolution. 

Mr.  QUAY.  Upon  another  occasion  I  shall  ask  the  Senate 
to  fix  a  day  for  the  consideration  of  appropriate  resolutions 

31 


32  Proceedings  in  the  Senate. 

commemorative  of  tlie  services  and  public  character  of  my  late 
colleague.  Meantime  I  offer  the  resolutions  which  I  send  to 
the  desk. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.     The  resolutions  will  be  read. 

The  Chief  Clerk  read  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  deep  sensibility  the  announce- 
ment of  the  death  of  Hon.  A.  K.  CRAIG,  late  a  Representative  from  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  Senators  be  appointed  by  the  Vice- 
President.to  join  the  committee  on  the  part  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives to  attend  the  funeral  of  the  deceased. 

Resolved,  That  the  Secretary  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the  House 
of  Representatives. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.  The  question  is  on  agreeing  to  the 
resolutions. 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  agreed  to. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.  Under  the  resolutions  just  adopted 
the  Chair  appoints  the  following  as  the  committee:  The 
Senator  from  Pennsylvania  [Mr.  Cameron],  the  Senator  from 
Wyoming  [Mr.  Carey],  and  the  Senator  from  Maryland  [Mr. 
Gorman]. 

Mr.  QUAY.     I  offer  an  additional  resolution. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.    The  resolution  will  be  read. 

The  Chief  Clerk  read  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  as  an  additional  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
deceased,  the  Senate  do  now  adjourn. 

The  VICE-PRESIDENT.  The  question  is  on  the  adoption  of 
the  resolution. 

The  resolution  was  agreed  to;  and  (at  2  o'clock  and  50  min- 
utes p.  m.)  the  Senate  adjourned  until  Monday,  August  1, 1892, 
at  12  o'clock  m. 


EULOGIES. 


MARCH  3,  1893. 

Mr.  CAMERON.  I  ask  that  the  resolutions  of  the  House  of 
Eepresentatives  relative  to  the  death  of  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K. 
CRAIG,  be  laid  before  the  Senate. 

The  PRESIDENT  pro  tempore.    The  resolutions  will  be  read. 

The  Secretary  read  as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  House  be  now  suspended,  that  oppor- 
tunity be  given  for  tributes  to  the  memory  of  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG, 
late  a  Representative  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  further  mark  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  the 
deceased  and  in  recognition  of  his  eminent  public  and  private  virtues, 
the  House,  at  the  conclusion  of  these  memorial  proceedings,  shall  stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  communicate  these  resolutions  to  the  Senate. 

Resolved,  That  the  Clerk  be  instructed  to  transmit  a  copy  of  these  reso- 
lutions to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

Mr.  CAMERON.  I  submit  the  resolutions  which  I  send  to 
the  desk  and  ask  that  they  be  read. 

The  PRESIDENT  pro  tempore.    The  resolutions  will  be  read. 
The  Secretary  read  as  follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  Senate  has  heard  with  profound  sorrow  the  announce- 
ment of  the  death  of  the  Hon.  ALEXANDER  K.  CRAIG,  late  a  Representative 
from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

Resolved,  That  the  business  of  the  Senate  be  now  suspended  in  order  that 
fitting  tribute  may  be  paid  to  his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  transmitted  by  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Senate  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

H.  Mis.  97 3  33 


34      Address  of  Mr.  Cameron,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  CAMERON,  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  The  Senate  is  once  more  called  upon  to 
suspend  its  business  that  fitting  tribute  may  be  paid  to  the  mem- 
ory of  another  departed  colleague.  The  frequency  with  which 
death  has  entered  this  Chamber,  as  well  as  that  of  the  other 
House,  has  been  very  marked  during  this  Congress. 

In  this  body  we  mourn  the  loss  of  four  of  our  late  colleagues, 
and  the  House  of  Representatives  mourns  the  loss  of  ten  of  its 
members. 

My  late  colleague,  ALEXANDER  KERR  CRAIG,  a  Representa- 
tive in  Congress  from  the  Twenty-fourth  district  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, died  at  his  home  in  Claysville,  Washington  County,  Pa., 
Friday  evening,  July  29,  1892,  at  9  o'clock,  after  two  months' 
illness  from  jaundice.  Mr.  CRAIG  was  born  in  Buffalo  town- 
ship, February  21, 1328,  on  the  old  Craig  farm,  which  is  loca- 
ted on  the  National  Pike,  in  Washington  County,  one  mile 
east  of  Claysville.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  father 
was  the  Hon.  Hugh  Craig,  a  man  of  considerable  force  of  char- 
acter and  influence  in  his  day,  and  represented  his  county  two 
terms  in  the  Pennsylvania  legislature,  declining  a  third. 

Mr.  CRAIG  obtained  his  early  education  from  the  common 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  from  private  instruction  of 
the  late  Rev.  Alexander  McCarrell,  and  through  devoting  his 
few  leisure  hours  to  hard  and  persistent  study,  being  a  con- 
stant reader  and  a  close  student.  He  commenced  teaching 
school  at  16  years  of  age.  About  a  year  later  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  under  Hon.  T.  M.  T.  McKennan,  and  continued 
the  same  until,  through  the  force  of  adverse  circumstances,  he 
deemed  it  his  duty  to  abandon  the  study  of  his  chosen  profes- 
sion and  return  to  the  farm  in  the  interest  of  his  younger 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig,  35 

sisters  and  brothers.  While  thus  carrying  on  the  farm  work  he 
also  taught  school  during  the  winter  months  when  no  farm 
work  could  be  done.  His  success  as  a  teacher  was  such  that 
he  became  principal  of  the  Claysville  schools,  a  position  which 
he  held  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mr.  CRAIG  came  from  a  remarkable  family.  His  brother, 
Hon.  John  H.  Craig,  is  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  Keokuk, 
Iowa.  Another  brother,  the  late  Rev.  Hugh  Craig,  was  an 
able  minister  in  the  Baptist  Church,  and  was  at  one  time  pres- 
ident of  the  Monongahela  College.  William  Craig,  another 
brother,  a  young  man  of  great  promise,  and  educated  at  Wash- 
ington College,  went  South  in  early  manhood  and  became  prin- 
cipal of  a  high  school  at  Natchez,  Miss.,  but  shortly  after  died 
there  from  malarial  disease.  Another  brother,  Joseph  Craig, 
is  a  prosperous  farmer  in  Brown  County,  Kansas.  Thomas  B. 
Craig,  his  youngest  brother,  between  whom  and  the  one  whose 
death  we  mourn  here  to-day  there  were  the  strongest  feelings 
of  brotherhood  and  filial  devotion,  has  been  for  the  past  25 
years  one  of  the  most  enterprising  merchants  in  Claysville. 
A  sister,  Mrs.  Darby,  resides  in  Kansas. 

Mr.  CRAIG,  my  late  colleague,  was  married  in  1852  to  Miss 
Sarah  McLain,  a  daughter  of  the  late  William  McLain,  of 
Washington  County,  who  for  fifty  years  was  one  of  the  leading 
Presbyterians  in  the  Claysville  region.  From  this  union  there 
were  four  children,  now  living,  all  of  whom  have  attained  more 
or  less  prominence.  His  son  John  E.  Craig  is  a  leading  law- 
yer in  and  at  present  mayor  of  Keokuk,  Iowa ;  another  son,  J. 
Addison  Craig,  was  for  five  years  principal  of  the  Keokuk 
high  school ;  a  third  son,  Thomas  Craig,  was  recently  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Keokuk ;  and  a  married  daughter,  Mrs.  Albert 
Sprowls,  lives  at  Claysville. 

In  February,  1865,  Mr.  CRAIG  enlisted  in  the  Eighty- 
seventh  Regiment  of  Pennsylvania  Infantry,  and  served  with 


•36      Address  of  Mr.  Cameron,  of  Pennsylvania,  on  the 

gallantry  and  conspicuous  merit  during  the  closing  scenes  of 
the  war  of  the  rebellion.  He  was  also  present  at  the  surren- 
der at  Appomattox  Court-House. 

The  war  over,  Mr.  CRAIG  returned  to  his  home  and  again 
took  up  his  agricultural  pursuits. 

He  was  a  lifelong,  active,  and  earnest  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 

Early  in  his  life  he  manifested  an  interest  in  political  affairs 
and  soon  became  prominent  in  the  local  councils  of  his  party, 
where  his  active  and  earnest  advocacy  of  the  principles  of  his 
faith  gained  him  not  only  the  support  of  those  who  shared  his 
political  belief,  but  the  respect  of  his  opponents  as  well.  His 
youthful  training  was  such  that  his  mind  became  imbued  with 
fixed,  views  and  he  was  very  pronounced  in  their  exposition.  • 
He  was  exceedingly  well  informed  upon  all  the  great  economic 
questions  of  the  day,  and  his  rnind  possessed  an  analytical 
turn  which  peculiarly  fitted  him  to  deal  with  all  important 
questions. 

Mr.  CRAIG  was  nominated  byhis  party  a  number  of  times 
for  county  offices,  but  never  held  any  public  office  except  that 
of  school  director  and  justice  of  the  peace  until  nominated, 
without  solicitation,  to  represent  his  district  in  the  Fifty- 
second  Congress,  receiving  21,585  votes  against  21,708  votes  for 
Andrew  Stewart,  Republican,  and  995  votes  for  Edward  Camp- 
bell, Prohibitionist.  He  made  a  spirited  and  successful  con- 
test and  was  seated  February  26,  1892,  by  a  vote  of  the  House 
of  132  to  57.  He  was  assigned  to  the  Committees  on  Educa- 
tion and  Military  Affairs,  where  he  rendered  faithful  service. 

From  the  time  he  took  his  seat  in  the  House,  Mr.  CRAIG  dis- 
played such  perception  and  keenness  in  the  business-like  way 
with  which  he  grappled  difficult  legislative  problems,  that  he 
soon  attracted  the  favorable  attention  of  the  leaders  in  that 
body.  His  term  of  office  was  short,  but  notwithstanding  this, 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  37 

he  impressed  his  fellow-members  with  his  wisdom  and  integ- 
rity. 

Mr.  CRAIG  was  a  religious  man.  He  was  a  ruling  elder  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Claysville,  and  had  been  superintend- 
ent of  the  Sabbath  school  there  for  twenty  years.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  which 
he  joined  at  the  date  of  its  organization,  and  in  which  he  was 
one  of  the  most  zealous  and  active  members.  His  disposition 
was  kindly.  Selfishness  was  to  him  an  unknown  attribute. 
In  the  discharge  of  every  duty  he  was  guided  by  the  Golden 
Rule,  and  in  every  act  he  sought  to  follow  its  precepts.  His 
life  was  beautiful  in  its  affection  and  simplicity,  and  his  taking 
away  leaves  a  sorrow  in  the  hearts  of  all  who  knew  him. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  PEFFER,  OF  KANSAS. 

Nothing  more  appropriate,  Mr.  President,  than  that  when 
men  and  women  die  something  should  be  said  about  it;  some- 
thing that  will  move  the  chords  of  life,  and  help  the  sorrowing 
to  weep  their  grief  away ;  something  that  will  aid  the  soul  in 
contemplating  the  mystery  of  death ;  something  that  will  bring 
at  the  heart  at  least  faint  glimpses  of  the  greater,  grander 
reality  of  life. 

Life  is  real,  life  is  earnest; 

And  the  grave  is  not  its  goal. 
Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  returnest, 

Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul. 

So,  when  the  Senator  from  Pennsylvania  came  to  me  last  even- 
ing and  asked  if  I  would  not  join  him  and  others  in  these 
memorial  services,  and  say  something  by  way  of  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  a  departed  friend,  I  felt  it  to  be  my  duty  to  consent. 

Though  it  was  not  my  fortune  to  enjoy  a  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  the  deceased,  he  was  my  brother — his  manhood  made 


38  Address  of  Mr.  Peffer,  of  Kansas,  on  the 

him  that — but  it  is  of  life  and  not  of  death  that  I  would  speak — 
his  life,  if  you  choose,  in  the  sense  that  one  man's  life  in  its 
essential  being  is  the  life,  or  like  the  life,  of  all  men,  because  it 
is  one  of  many  bound  together  by  an  indestructible  sympathy. 

Mr.  President,  "  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal  5  but 
the  things  which  are  not  seen  are  eternal."  Death  we  see;  life 
is  unseen.  The  roots  of  life  lie  deep  among  the  dead ;  its  iiour 
ishment  comes  from  decay.  The  brightest  colors  and  the  sweet- 
est fragrance  are  brewed  in  swamps.  The  pond  lily  rests  on 
stagnant  waters.  Without  death  there  could  be  no  life.  If 
nothing  were  wasted  the  world  would  stand  still.  Immortality 
is  but  the  bloom  of  death  in  perpetual  succession. 

It  is  on  this  great  truth  that  my  faith  is  builded,  a  faith  that 
teaches  me  the  continued  progress  of  men,  the  eternal  growth 
of  mind — a  faith  that  re.iches  forward  to  the  ultimate  perfec- 
tion of  the  human  race. 

This  subtle  force,  this  iu comprehensible  entity  which  we  call 
life,  is  the  most  wonderful  of  all  things.  And  yet  it  is  a  result, 
not  a  cause — it  comes  from  the  wrecks  and  ruins  of  the  dead. 

Nothing  so  grand,  nothing  so  splendid,  so  inspiring  as 
human  life.  In  and  through  its  ceaseless  efforts  came  all  the 
enduring  monuments  of  time. 

Every  life  has  something  in  it  worth  remembering,  and  that 
is  the  part  of  it  which  was  useful  and  good.  There  is  nothing 
in  the  evil  which  men  do  that  permanently  impresses  itself  on 
the  progress  of  the  race.  The  only  lasting  influence  is  that 
which  makes  men  better.  The  higher  we  rise  the  more  plainly 
we  see  what  is  below.  After  all,  evil  is  only  contrast.  We 
suffer  pain  because  we  enjoy  pleasure.  The  better  we  grow 
the  more  plainly  we  see  what  is  wrong  and  the  more  hateful 
it  appears.  The  head  sees  through  the  heart;  both  grow 
together. 

What  there  was  of  good  in  this  man's  life — and  there  was 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.  39 

much — is  saved  and  descends  as  a  legacy,  not  only  to  those 
who  knew  him  best  and  loved  him  most,  but  to  us  here  in  the 
nation's  highest  legislative  body,  and  we  shall  have  done  well 
if  we  profit  by  it. 

Life  is  worth  living,  Mr.  President.  That  which  seems  most 
cruel  betimes  is  a  training  school,  fitting  us  for  better  work 
ahead.  We  grow  stronger  by  being  burdened.  We  are  per- 
fected through  suffering  if  we  faint  not  nor  fall  by  the  way. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR,  CALL,  OF  FLORIDA. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  I  had  no  personal  acquaintance  with  the 
deceased  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  to  whose 
memory  we  are  now  paying  this  tribute  ;  but  the  lives  of  the 
four  hundred  and  eight  men  who  are  charged  with  the 
responsibility  of  the  sovereign  legislative  depaitmeiit  of  this 
Government  are  of  great  importance  to  those  who  shall  come 
after  us.  They  become  a  part  of  the  annals  of  the  Eepublic, 
and  are  placed  in  its  archives.  No  man  can  belong  to  either 
of  these  two  bodies  and  perform  the  duties  which  rest  upon 
him  satisfactorily  without  leaving  his  impress  upon  the  civiliza- 
tion of  his  day. 

This  human  life  of  ours,  beautiful  as  it  is,  wonderful  in  its 
faculties  and  in  all  its  characteristics,  bounded  by  a  horizon  of 
impenetrable  mystery,  has  within  it  something  which  appeals 
to  the  consciousness  of  man  that  there  is  a  greater  and  a 
nobler  future  for  us,  but  that  future  and  the  nobility  of  it  we 
are  impressed  with  the  consciousness  must  come  from  the  con- 
duct of  men  here.  In  the  whole  arena  of  human  life  there  is 
no  field  so  great  as  that  which  is  open  to  even  the  humblest 
among  the  four  hundred  and  eight  lives  which  are  charged 
with  the  destiny  of  this  great  Republic. 


40  Address  of  Mr.  Call,  of  Florida,  on  the 

This  civilization  of  ours  is  dependent  upon  our  institutions, 
following  the  example  of  the  Divine  Man  who  nearly  nineteen 
hundred  years  ago  revolutionized  all  the  conditions  of  philoso- 
phy ;  and  all  theories  of  government  were  based  and  are  to-day 
founded  upon  the  idea  of  banishing  to  a  great  extent  the  misery 
and  the  woes  and  the  sorrows  which  afflict  mankind.  It  is 
intended  to  raise  the  poor  who  have  always  constituted  the  great 
body  of  the  people  to  a  higher  and  a  better  condition  of  life,  to 
a  condition  where  they  can  realize  the  responsibilities  of  that 
future  life,  and  enjoy  in  comfort  and  peace  of  mind  the  faculties 
with  which  they  are  endowed  and  the  bounties  of  nature.  It 
is  intended  to  banish  the  inequalities  and  the  greed  and  the 
avarice  and  the  cruelty,  the  bloody  wars,  the  dark  and  loath- 
some dungeon,  the  chains,  tortures,  and  superstitions  which 
have  characterized  the  condition  of  man  and  the  administra- 
tion of  government  in  all  past  time. 

This  ship  of  state  is  freighted  with  the  happiness  of  the 
human  race,  and  the  responsibility  therefore  of  guiding  it  in  its 
course  upon  these  principles  and  in  the  light  of  these  great 
objects,  when  intrusted  by  the  suffrage  of  his  fellow-citizens  to 
any  man,  is  the  most  honorable  distinction  known  to  our  laws 
and  the  most  important  public  duty.  The  manner  in  which  he 
shall  have  performed  the  duties  of  this  great  office,  as  attested 
by  persons  who,  although  strangers  to  him,  have  been  asso- 
ciated with  him  in  their  performance,  becomes  a  great  and 
important  fact  in  our  national  life  and  history. 

If  his  associates,  although  serving  in  another  branch  of  the 
Legislature,  shall  attest  to  the  fact  that  he  has  gone  unstained 
through  the  temptations  which  beset  each  and  all  of  us;  that 
he  resisted  the  appeals  of  avarice  to  use  the  powers  of  Govern- 
ment for  the  benefit  of  individuals  and  privilege  and  class 
against  the  body  of  the  people;  that  he  has  boldly  and  with 
the  true  spirit  of  a  patriot,  a  statesman,  and  a  friend  of  his 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.          41 

fellow-man  performed  his  duties — if  we  can  inscribe  upon  the 
annals  of  the  Eepublic  this  testimony  in  behalf  of  our  departed 
colleague  of  those  who  knew  him  only  as  an  associate  in  the 
performance  of  his  duty  without  stain  and  without  reproach, 
it  is  the  highest  commendation  that  a  human  life  can  have. 

This  testimony  I  can  bear.  Serving  here  during  the  whole 
period  of  the  time  in  which  this  lamented  brother  of  ours  was 
a  member  of  the  National  Legislature,  I  testify  to  the  fact  that 
no  stain  and  no  reproach  and  no  suspicion  came  upon  him. 
No  venal  press  ever  presumed  to  stain  the  purity  of  his 
conduct.  Performing  thus  these  high  and  great  duties,  con- 
tributing through  them  to  the  happiness  of  mankind  in  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Eepublic,  we  can  inscribe  upon  his  name 
in  the  annals  of  the  Republic  this  as  the  sentence  and  the 
judgment  of  his  associates. 

A  scholar  and  student  of  human  life,  in  a  life  of  the  Divine 
Jesus,  contemplating  the  scriptural  account  of  his  interview 
with  the  woman  at  Jacob's  well  and  his  statement  that  "  the 
hour  cometh  when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor  yet 
at  Jerusalem,  worship  the  Father,"  but  "the  true  worshipers 
shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth,"  says : 

On  the  day  and  hour  when  Jesus  pronounced  these  words  he  was  indeed 
the  Son  of  God.  He  for  the  first  time  gave  utterance  to  the  idea  upon  which 
shall  rest  the  edifice  of  the  everlasting  religion.  He  founded  the  pure  wor- 
ship of  no  age,  of  no  clime,  which  shall  be  that  of  all  lofty  souls  to  the  end 
of  time. 

The  words  of  Jesus  were  a  gleam  in  a  thick  night ;  it  has 
taken  eighteen  hundred  years  for  the  eyes  of  humanity  to  learn 
to  abide  it.  But  the  gleam  shall  become  the  full  day,  and  after 
passing  through  all  the  circles  of  error  humanity  will  return  to 
these  words  as  to  the  immortal  expression  of  its  faith  and  its 
hopes.  This  faith  which  frees  the  human  mind  from  the  bond- 
age of  tradition ;  which  pierces  the  darkness  of  the  ages  and 
illumines  the  immortal  life ;  which  overthrows  the  tyranny  of 


42  Address  of  Mr.  Vilas,  of  Wisconsin,  on  the 

caste,  privilege,  and  rank;  which  makes  the  care  for  and  the 
protectipn  of  the  people  equally  the  obligation  of  a  wise  states- 
manship and  a  true  religion.  In  the  light  of  this  high  and 
beautiful  faith,  in  the  confidence  of  this  reasonable  belief,  in 
the  performance  of  the  duties  of  the  great  office  confided  to 
him  by  his  people  this  gentleman  lived  and  died.  Honor  to 
his  memory,  and  immortal  happiness  to  his  spirit. 


ADDRESS  OF  MR.  VILAS,  OF  WISCONSIN. 

Mr.  PRESIDENT  :  The  deceased  Representative  whose  life 
and  services  have  been  briefly  recounted  by  the  distinguished 
Senator  from  Pennsylvania  [  Mr.  Cameron  ]  was  relatively  a 
stranger  to  me.  When  the  request  was  made  that  I  should 
add  something  to  the  observations  of  other  Senators  upon  this 
occasion,  I  answered  that  my  limited  knowledge  of  him  might 
cause  me  not  to  do  him  justice.  I  undertake,  therefore,  to  pay 
not  that  tribute  which  close  personal  acquaintance  might  have 
enabled  me  to  discharge  with  a  more  exact  and  better  judg- 
ment and  discrimination,  but  only  a  brief  word  to  testify  the 
remembrance  due  to  the  Representative  and  to  the  man. 

After  all,  sir,  what  boots  it  that  I  was  not  specially  and 
familiarly  acquainted  with  the  deceased.  He  was  a  man  who  in 
his  walk  of  life  had  acquired  celebrity  in  his  locality,  was 
highly  esteemed  and  respected  as  a  man  of  uprightness  of 
character,  as  a  man  of  high  abilities  and  attainments,  a  man 
who  walked  his  way  in  life  well  and  faithfully.  His  qualities, 
sir,  were  such  that  I  am  sure  had  he  been  spared  but  for  a 
short  time  he  would  doubtless  have  won  that  influence  which 
his  native  ability,  his  solid  acquirements,  and  the  integrity  of 
his  character  deserved. 


Life  and  Character  of  Alexander  K.  Craig.          43 

Mr.  President,  the  fate  of  death  is  common  to  us  all.  We 
caii  not  escape  it.  The  millions  who  have  gone  before  and  the 
millions  who  are  to  come  after  must  suffer  its  ordeal. 

All  that  tread 

The  globe  are  but  a  handful  to  the  tribes 
That  slumber  in  its  bosom.     Take  the  wings 
Of  morning,  pierce  the  Barcan  wilderness, 
Or  lose  thyself  in  the  continuous  woods 
Where  rolls  the  Oregon  and  hears  no  sound 
Save  his  own  dashings — yet  the  dead  are  there; 
And  millions  in  those  solitudes,  since  first 
The  flight  of  years  began,  have  laid  them  down 
In  their  last  sleep — the  dead  reign  there  alone. 

And  what  matters  it,  sir,  to  us  as  to  the  noise  with  which 
we  depart  from  this  world?  You  cast  the  little  pebble  in  the 
pool,  or  the  greater  stone  with  a  heavier  splash ;  they  alike 
sink,  and  in  a  little  while  the  ripple  that  disturbed  the  surface 
has  faded  away.  But  they  who  sink  in  the  pool  of  death  dis- 
appear forever.  Never  yet  the  grappling  hook  or  ingenious 
diving  bell  or  all  the  wit  or  art  of  man  recovered  one  trace  or 
portion. 

Sir,  our  hope  is  that  the  power  which  gave  being  will  give 
life  beyond  the  grave,  a  life  the  measure  of  whose  beauty  there 
will  be  the  measure  of  its  usefulness  here.  By  this  hope,  sir, 
those  who  loved  the  deceased  may  grieve,  but  not  as  those 
without  hope.  Honorable,  faithful,  true  in  public  and  private 
life,  they  may  well  look  to  his  past  as  the  hope  for  the  future. 
Sir,  I  am  glad  to  pay  this  tribute  of  respect  to  the  deceased, 
not  only  as  a  public  duty,  but  from  a  sense  of  private  duty 
also. 

A  brother  of  the  deceased,  Hon.  John  H.  Craig,  of  Keokuk, 
Iowa,  was  well  known  to  me.  He  was  one  of  the  ablest  law- 
yers, the  finest  scholars,  the  most  accomplished  gentlemen  in 
the  West.  Sir,  this  recollection  gives  me  a  sense  of  personal 


44  Address  of  Mr.  Vilas,  of  Wisconsin, 

consolation  at  the  opportunity  which  is  afforded  me  to  lay  a 
garland  on  the  grave  of  our  dead  colleague. 

There's  rosemary,  that's  for  remembrance ;  and  there  is  pansies,  that's 
for  thoughts. 

It  is  of  little  consequence  to  him  who  is  gone,  but  to  us,  still 
in  the  world,  it  is  worth  while  to  bethink  ourselves  that  a  short 
time  only  intervenes  between  his  advance  and  our  pursuit  of 
the  same  course  of  death  that  ends  life. 

The  PRESIDENT  pro  tempore.  The  question  is  on  agreeing 
to  the  resolutions  submitted  by  the  Senator  from  Pennsylvania 
[Mr.  Cameron]. 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  agreed  to. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SANTA  CRUZ 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  DATEstampedbebw 


E664.C84U5 


3  2106  00061  3429 


